Amaranth known in Kenya as terere is not a new discovery. It has been grown and eaten across East Africa for generations, typically as a leafy green cooked with onion and tomato. What has changed is the nutritional attention it is getting, and for good reason.
The grain form of amaranth is one of the few plant sources that qualifies as a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. For context, most plant proteins are incomplete they lack one or more amino acids and need to be combined with other foods to cover the full profile. Amaranth does not have that limitation.
A 100g serving of cooked amaranth contains roughly 4g of protein, 2g of fibre, and meaningful amounts of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. The iron content is particularly relevant in Kenya, where deficiency rates are among the higher in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in women and children.
It is also naturally gluten-free, which matters for the growing number of people managing gluten sensitivity or coeliac disease a condition underdiagnosed across the continent partly because wheat-based testing tools are not always calibrated for African dietary patterns.
The practical gap with amaranth is preparation. The grain takes longer to cook than rice and has a slightly earthy flavour that not everyone adjusts to immediately. The leaves, which most Kenyans are more familiar with, are faster to prepare and nutritionally strong in their own right high in vitamin C, calcium, and folate.
Brio uses amaranth because it is local, affordable for farmers to grow, and genuinely useful from a nutritional standpoint. There is no exotic import story here. It is a crop that has always been here.